At the Orchestra Concert

    As you enter the concert hall and take your seat, the musicians will begin to enter the stage and play their instruments.  The musicians are not playing together right now;  you will hear different musicians practicing different techniques.  This is because they are warming up, just like you would warm up at the beginning of a physical education class.  Instead of doing stretches and jumping jacks, the musicians do musical exercises to warm up their arms, hands, fingers, lungs, and lips.  Then, seemingly without a cue, the lights will dim, the lobby doors will close and the orchestra and audience will grow quiet.

    A musician carrying a violin will enter the stage and go to the first chair to the left of the podium.  The person who sits in this chair is called the concertmaster.  The concertmaster is like a team captain, and has the responsibility of making sure the orchestra is tuned properly before the concert begins.  The concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony is Susanna Perry Gilmore.  Once she is onstage, she will signal the oboe to sound the note "A", and all of the musicians will tune or adjust their instruments to that note.  The audience should applaud when the concertmaster enters and then be very quiet during the tuning process.

    After the orchestra tunes, the conductor will enter the stage.  The audience should applaud again to welcome the conductor.  The conductor for most concerts will be the Music Director, Maestro David Loebel.

    During the concert there will be many sounds to listen to, but there will also be many things to see.  First, watch the conductor.  The conductor's movements will change as the music gets louder and softer, faster and slower.  Next, look around at all of the instruments.  How many can you name?  Do all of the violin bows move in the same direction at the same time?  (They should!)  Then choose one instrument to watch and try to concentrate on its sound when it plays. 

    When the music is over, the audience applauds.  This is how the audience says thank you to the orchestra.  The orchestra then stands to thank the audience for the applause.

Sometimes We're Sneaky...

Occasionally the music will stop when the piece is not really over.  By watching the conductor's hands, you can tell when it is time to applaud.  If the conductor's hands are still up in the air, there may be another section or movement of the piece left.  When the conductor's hands go down and s/he turns to face the audience, the piece is over and you should applaud.